Prototype Solar Mini Grid Layout¶

The following algorithm was commissioned by Electric Vine Industries, an innovative solar mini grid company.

All implementations of the tool that we create will be publicly runnable.

Only the first implementation of the tool will be available as an open source notebook.

Here are the input arguments to the algorithm:

• Table of customer locations
  • Customer ID
  • Demand in kWh/day
  • Location as a point or polygon
• Table of obstacles
  • Obstacle ID
  • Is passable
  • Location as a polygon
• Table of roads
  • Road ID
  • Location as a line
• Table of battery types
  • Battery ID
  • Range of kWh/day
  • Cost
• Minimum solar panel pole count per kWh
• Maximum service drop line length
• Maximum service drop line count per pole
• Maximum distance between service distribution poles
• Maximum distance between wireless internet source and wireless internet pole
• Maximum distance between wireless internet poles
• Maximum distance between wireless internet node and solar panel pole
• Maximum customer count per street lamp
• Cost of pole A
• Cost of pole B
• Cost per meter of service distribution line

Here are the output properties of the algorithm:

• Table of poles
  • Pole ID
  • Pole type
  • Customer count
  • Has solar panel
  • Has street lamp
  • Has wireless internet
  • Has corner angle
  • Longitude
  • Latitude
• Table of batteries
  • Battery type
  • Longitude
  • Latitude
• Table of customers
  • Customer ID
  • Demand in kWh/day
  • Pole ID
  • Service drop line length
  • Longitude
  • Latitude
• Table of service distribution lines
  • Pole ID 1
  • Pole ID 2
  • Service distribution line length

Place service drop poles¶

• Maximize the percentage of customers who are within a maximum distance to a service drop pole.
• Minimize the number of service drop poles.
• Minimize the distance from a customer to the nearest service drop pole.
• Limit the maximum distance from a customer to the nearest service drop pole.
• Limit the maximum number of customers per service drop pole.

Place distribution poles¶

1st implementation¶

• Maximize the percentage of service drop poles connected by distribution cable.
• Minimize the distribution cable length.
• Limit the maximum distance between poles.

2nd implementation¶

• Maximize the percentage of distribution cable that follows a road

3rd implementation¶

• Do not put the distribution cable across unpassable obstacles

Place batteries¶

1st implementation¶

• Minimize the number of batteries.
• Minimize the distance of a battery to each service drop pole.
• Limit the maximum distance of a battery to a service drop pole.

2nd implementation¶

• Minimize the distance of a battery to each service drop pole as measured along a distribution line.
• Limit the maximum distance of a battery to a service drop pole as measured along a distribution line.
• Place each battery on a distribution line.

3rd implementation¶

• Do not put a battery inside a passable obstacle or unpassable obstacle.

Place street lamps¶

• Minimize the summed distance of a customer to a street lamp over all customers.
• Place a street lamp on selected poles to satisfy the above constraint.
• Limit the maximum distance of a street lamp to a customer.

Place equipment¶

1st implementation¶

• Estimate the demand in kWh/day for each battery.
• Estimate the number of solar panels needed to satisfy the daily demand for each battery.
• Place a solar panel on poles closest to a battery.

2nd implementation¶

• Add a power meter to a pole for each service drop.
• Add a power meter to a pole for each street lamp pole.
• Place a wireless internet source at each battery.
• Minimize the number of wireless internet poles.
• Minimize the distance from a solar panel to a wireless internet source or wireless internet pole.

Decide pole types¶

• Use pole type A when the angle of the incoming and outgoing distribution line is smaller than X degrees.
• Use pole type A for solar panel poles.
• Use pole type B otherwise.